


Friends as old as the night

by Onedayatatime



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Bisexual Spencer Reid, Case Fic, Content warning for the average Criminal Minds episode, Hotch is a dad, Multi, Refrences to Spencer's past, Spencer Reid's wing man, Spencer has weird friends, everyone wants Morgan and Spencer to get together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:02:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24006304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onedayatatime/pseuds/Onedayatatime
Summary: A case brings the BAU to Bakersfield, Indiana, and more importantly to one of Dr. Spencer Reid's oldest friends. Will the team love her? He can only hope so.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s) (Past)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 144





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a little new to the fandom, but I am really enjoying it. It's a little hard to get continuity correct, since there's a lot of conflicting information. I'm just hoping you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it! Comments and Kudos are really appreciated!  
> Hey so I am 6 chapters in to writing this, and have 3 more outlined. I skipped around the seasons, so I never saw the Hankel case till today. There is no physical way I can rewrite this with it in mind, so my apologies, it just never happened.

“This is a strange case,” JJ said, looking at the files. They were on the jet, confused.

“Aren’t they all?” Prentiss sighed, there was a gallows humor in her voice. It was late, and none of them were exactly thrilled to be going to Indiana in the middle of the night in January.

“How do we know it’s a serial killer?” Morgan asked, seeing that it was strange that there were only 2 victims so far. Usually they had a much higher body count, with a lot more gruesome photos.

“Because of this,” She said, showing them bloody index cards, and reading aloud, “1 Timothy 2:12, and Ephesians 5:22, it’s his calling card”

“But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. First Timothy 2:12.” Reid recited, remembering the verses. “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. Ephesians 5:22” He looked around at his gaping friends.

“How do you know that?” Rossi asked.

“I have an eidetic memory-” Reid began, getting ready to ramble

“I know that it’s just-” Rossi was trying to find the right words.

“You never struck me as religious, pretty boy,” Morgan explained, and Rossi was grateful. Morgan always seemed to be able to say things to Reid, that he was always afraid to be offensive. To be fair, a lot of the times they were. It did not go over Rossi’s head, that Derek Morgan could ask him just about anything, and Reid would never bat an eye. He knew damn well that there was something going on, and he could see that they couldn’t see it.

“We’ve all been bored in a hotel room.” He smirked. Prentiss choked on her coffee, and Reid began to blush, realizing how he sounded.

“Clearly this unsub is religious,” She started, just to get them back on topic. “But more importantly he’s a misogynist.”

Reid kept looking at the pictures. There was something about the background that felt familiar.

“He could be trying to send a message to a woman. Maybe his wife, maybe an ex.” Morgan suggested. “Probably a divorce or marital problems.” They nodded in agreement.

“JJ where is this?” Reid asked, fed up with trying to figure it out.

“Bakersfield, Indiana.” She repeated. Suddenly, Reid realized why this was familiar.

“Well, if we are trying to narrow down this town’s religious misogynists with marital problems, that leaves just about every man over 30.” He scoffed.

“Reid, don’t make jokes like that-” Hotch scolded. Ried was a little embarrassed, because he wasn’t joking.

“No, sir, it wasn’t a joke. I know this place, quite well actually. It has a reputation of essentially being a church commune. Rumors of it being a cult are everywhere.” He began to explain, starting his ramble. “Bakersfield has a population of 18,034 people, and almost all of them attend the same mega-church in town. It’s run by a man, Todd Jenkins. They are known for practicing conversion therapy particularly on minors, and preaching this really conservative version of the bible. It is similar to the Westboro Baptist Church, but they don’t try to attract too much attention, so no funeral protests or anything super showy. They specifically choose to seem tame, it makes recruiting easier. As well, the church pretty much has a stranglehold on town politics and culture. Alcohol isn’t allowed to be sold within city limits. Hell, you can’t even buy condoms at the only pharmacy in town.” 

“What book did you read that in?” Morgan laughed, and it made Reid squirm. He suddenly realized that he said that last part out loud, and that made his explanation so much worse.

“Um, actually I didn’t read it,” He explained calmly, and smiled a little remembering his time there. “I’ve been there a few times.”

This piqued the team’s interest. “Why would you go there? Conversion therapy and quasi cults aren’t exactly my version of a good time.” JJ joked.

“A college friend of mine lives there. Actually she might be able to help us with the case.” He smiled. Just thinking about her made him miss her more. It had only been a few weeks since they last talked, but she just made him so happy. The thought of her meeting the team made him more than slightly uneasy. He loved her, but she was just… a lot.

“That’s good, the local police department has also offered their full support,” JJ explained, and Spencer let out a tiny laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Rossi asked, he had a lot of questions about what he was hearing. 

“That’s a first. The cops here aren’t exactly going to be super welcoming to outsiders.” There was one aspect that did sincerely worry him. He wasn’t too numb to forget why they’re going to Bakersfield. “There is reason for concern. They are notoriously horrible about abuse allegations. If we are looking for people with a history of abusive behavior, the cops most likely won’t have it on file. Everyone’s too afraid to say anything, and they don’t exactly take it seriously. The whole town forces everyone into this sort of prison of silence.”

That put an uneasy air on the plane. They knew the unsub must have been abusive, but if the cops didn’t have it on file it would be difficult to narrow down.

“Well, we can figure that out once we get there. For now, we need to try to see what connections our victims might have, he chose them for a reason.” Hotch said in his usual straight face.

\----

Once they got into town, Reid began to take notes on what had changed since the 7 years he had been there. Noticeably it was very little. It was late, and he had already called Jo and left a message to explain that he was coming to town. She just texted him a picture of the movie poster “Dead Man Walking” with the caption “LOL. My dad is still on duty, he’s gonna kill you.”

He laughed, and rolled his eyes, she did always tend to have a flair for the dramatic. He was too busy caught up in her texts, he didn’t notice the pained and curious eyes of one Derek Morgan looking at him.

He really thought he understood the kid, but every time he thought he knew him, he found out something wild.

Once they got to the police station, he discovered that Jo had not, in fact, been exaggerating. They were beginning to get situated in the conference room, and he set up his map. He stood, looking quizzically at the dots in it. The first victim, Tara Lane had last been seen at O’Rourke’s, and the second, Andrea Cooper had been at The Lucky Duck. Both were bars in the neighboring town, and both were killed on consecutive Friday nights. However, given there were only 3 bars in 40 miles, that didn’t make searching for connections any easier.

While he was wrapped up in his thoughts, an angry voice crept up behind him. “You’ve got some fucking nerve coming here!” 

The whole team became alert and noticeably concerned. Reid in all honesty had been expecting this.

“Officer Bailey, would you like to continue this in private-” Reid offered politely. He did not need to be humiliated in front of his team like that. He also knew, this would only be the beginning.

“Cut the crap, kid. I thought I told you to stay the hell away from here, and  _ my  _ daughter.” His voice only grew louder and angrier.

“With all due respect Mr. Bailey,”  _ which is very very little, _ he thought. “Josephine is an adult, capable of making decisions about her body and her relationships. What happened between her and I is our business. Exclusively.” 

The team stood stunned, unsure of what to do. They never could have imagined this. They could barely believe Reid had ever dated a woman, nevermind done something to make her dad this angry. Even stranger, he seemed utterly calm, while this man was red in the face.

“You led her to sin! I told you to stay away from her you sex freak-” Officer Bailey was screaming, and Reid felt everyone’s eyes on him. He could practically see Morgan’s jaw on the ground. He wanted to drop dead right now. Hotch walked towards the pair, but Reid knew he needed to do this himself. If not for his own sake, then for Jo’s. He was really tired of how the Bailey’s treated their daughter, but he was grateful to know she would be leaving soon.

“Officer Bailey. I am an FBI agent, here to bring a killer in  _ your  _ town to justice. Your bosses asked  _ me  _ and my team here. I am not some kid you can bully anymore. I am here to work, and if you would like to talk about the nature of my relationship with your daughter 7 years ago, I suggest you do that off of taxpayer dollars.” He said with a firm but quiet voice. Before Bailey could respond, he returned to his board and sat down. They all stared at him, and the only thing anyone could think to stare. Eventually the detectives took him away, and began to talk to him.

“Um, Reid-” Morgan began, confused.

“We aren’t going to discuss that. I apologize you had to see it in the first place.” He huffed. The team respected his wishes, but filed it in the back of their minds. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reid gets a call.

There were hardly any rooms in the hotel available. Reid knew this as soon as he realized this was where they were going. There were only 3 hotel rooms in the whole damn town, and only 1 was a double. He remembered, that first time he came to visit, he stayed here, and once after that. Luckily for him Jo’s parents had let him stay over the next couple of times. That was until of course, what he regards as the single  _ stupidest _ moment in his entire life. Considering that between him and Jo they share 5 PhDs and 5 BAs he still can’t fathom how stupid they were. 

They had been the same age when they started college, both the youngest kids in class by far, only 14. Their professors tried to pit them against each other, but Jo was never one for expectations. They helped each other, which was good because they had to share a dorm room since they were so young. Jo always got into trouble, and Reid always got her out of it. That’s how they operated, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Jo was one of the few people on earth with a brain to rival Spencer’s, even if she chose to portray her intelligence differently.

However, she is easily the most chaotic person Spencer has ever met. That was how that whole mess started. Spencer had spent the weekend with Jo when they were 19, like so many times before. He decided to sneak out of the guest room and into Jo’s room, and hang out. It started innocent enough, but god they were dumb. They started by playing cards. Strip poker, which was a big mistake, they could outsmart each other like no one else. That led to drinking, making out, and eventually it got serious. The later parts of the story are subject to debate. He knows for a fact that they had taken things  _ way  _ too far, and that Jo’s dad walked in. He remembers things being thrown, a gunshot, and the two of them going to the hotel that night, while practically naked. The next morning, they woke up in this exact room and tried to figure out what happened. They both apologized profusely, feeling that they shouldn’t have taken things that far. It was an added surprise, when Jo decided it was then to come out to him as a lesbian, that day. Neither of them actually truly regretted that night, despite it being as bad as it was. Eventually it was just another wild story of theirs. Jo still teases him, saying he was so bad he turned her gay. Mainly she does it because, she knows he’s bothered by the fact that’s not how psychology works.

Morgan is in the shower when Reid gets a call. He had been waiting for this.

“Hey, babe." He smiled, he was more than used to her little nicknames for him. They just got each other, and while some might say it is weird to be that close to an ex, well no one ever said that the two of them were normal. 

“Hello, Jo.” He lied down on the bed, prepared for whatever she was going to say.

“I hear my dad talked to you today.” 

“Yes he did. I take it you haven’t told him you’re moving.” He said with a tiny laugh. He trusted her with his life, but he was getting extremely worried about her staying in this town. The murders only made him worry more.

“Not yet, I can’t until I’m sure I’m getting the position.” Her anxiety was clear in her voice, and Spencer knew she was just as worried about herself as he was.

“Come on that lab loved you! Jo, I promise you will be able to find a job, as long as you go to a place that, y’know believes in evolution.” They laughed a little at that.

“I know but I can’t be sure! They said that I should hear back by the end of the week.” 

“I can’t believe you’ve been able to stay here as long as you have, I’m still surprised you’ve no ones found out you’re gay.” He was genuinely curious how no one has caught on to her wild nature. In college they would sneak into frat parties and pull massive pranks. The idea that Jo was able to just not do that for weeks at a time while she stayed at her parents.

“Well, let’s just say I work hard to keep quiet, but I can still get it.” 

“Wow, that’s a first.” He smirked at the memories of his friend. Jesus Christ did he hate sharing a dorm room with her.

“Spencer!” She scolded.

“I think I still have a residual blush from that one time at that escape room a couple years ago-” He teased. 

“That was one time!” 

“You were so lucky it was me who opened that door-”

“C’mon, we’ve all done it.” 

“No, I can safely say I’ve never had sex in a coat closet of an escape room.” Reid teased.

“Don’t act like you’ve never wanted to.”

Ignoring the comment, he pressed on “Really puts new meaning to the phrase coming out of the closet.” 

“How much did it pain you to pretend that that’s not the original meaning for the sake of that joke?” He could hear her eye roll.

“I had to physically bite my cheek.” he laughed. “I’m serious though, when are you getting out of here? This place isn't safe."

“I want to! I’m just broke, I don’t even know what I’m gonna do about housing in DC-” She was clearly stressed, but they had talked about this before. Reid offered his place, they had lived together for years before, what’s a couple more.

“I told you, stay with me! I can show you around, introduce you to some nice girls.” 

“Spencer, you know I can’t do that.” 

“C’mon, we've done it before." He looked behind him and checked to make sure he was alone. They were always pretending to flirt with each other, but that was between them. Most people didn't get they were joking, especially since they were technically exes. But it was the same as Garcia and Morgan. 

“I don’t want to impose.” 

“Jo, you could never impose. Besides, I’m hardly ever home.” He had a spare bedroom, and most days he was out of town with the BAU. 

“You at Morgan’s house?” she singsonged, of course Jo would ruin a sweet moment to tease him.

“You know as well as I do, nothings happened with that” He said very carefully. He refused to let Morgan hear this, him finding out like this would unbearable.

“Who’s that in the shower?” He could hear her suggestive eyebrows, God this girl would be the death of him.

“We are working!” He defended.

“Uh-huh. Are you guys at Millers BnB?” 

“Of course, there’s only one hotel in town-” 

“You and I both know they only have 1 double in the hotel and I know it didn’t go to you.” 

“Jo! We are just friends! ANd at work” He hissed quietly

“Well, just remember, heatings broken.” 

“What?” His heart sank as he remembered that night so many years ago.

“Oh yeah, they say its fine, but its always at least 10 degrees below what the thermostat says, and its an Indiana winter. Have fun trying to get warm. Remember, we had to cuddle nake-”

“We wouldn’t have been naked if you had let us get changed!” He said accusatorily. 

“I let you grab your clothes!” She defended.

“I dropped them when we, oh what was it?” He joked. “Oh yeah, jumped out the window!”

“You had fun.” She laughed. 

“I hate you.” He lied, they really did have fun. As much as he faked being exhausted by her antics, they always had fun. 

“You love me” She teased, and Spencer couldn’t help but smile. He really loved her. Long ago had any sexual or romantic feelings passed. What was left was a real love of a friend, one that went beyond anything they had ever known. It was almost like they were brother and sister, although they specifically chose not to think about it like that given their history.

“Yeah, yeah I do.” He had tears in his eyes, he really did miss her.

“Promise me you’ll visit me before you go.” 

“Of course, once the case is closed, me, you, and a bottle of vodka I snuck in?” He smiled, knowing he didn’t have any vodka, but he knew he could grab some by the end of the case.

“And then what? You’re gonna whisk me away?” She laughed remembering their conversation from early. She always tried to deflect the more serious parts of their conversations with jokes.

“If you’d like.” He said in earnest. He always countered her deflection with honest love.

“I’m not a damsel in distress.” She said, but it lacked harshness or bite.

“I know that, and you know I know that,” He took a deep breath in. “It’s not weak to ask for help. Josephine, I love you. You deserve better than what you’re getting.”

“You know what, if I get this job, I just might let you take me away like a fairytale.” She whispered, and Reid breathed a sigh of relief.

“I look forward to it.” He couldn’t keep himself from smiling.

“I’ll come down while my dad’s out of the station to see what I can help you with. Just call me as soon as you see him leave.” She said, almost sad. He knew she wanted to be more helpful. He also knew how bad it would be if she got caught talking to him again.

“I’ll call you. I love you.”

“See ya later, babe.” She said ending the call.

“You got a secret girlfriend, Pretty boy?” The voice startled Reid, and his face lost its color and his blood ran cold when he saw Morgan standing there.

“How much of that did you hear?” He practically quivered, remembering their conversation.

“Enough to know that you are most certainly in love,” He said looking a little too proud of himself. Reid was terrified, had he figured it out from the phone call. “So, who’s the lucky lady?”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s not like that, we’re just friends.” He knew this would be an uphill battle, it always was.

“That didn’t sound like ‘just friends’” Morgan breathed a quick laugh. He did his best to hide his hope that Reid was telling the truth.

“Trust me I’m not her type.” He laughed. He really had to be careful, he couldn’t let anyone know Jo was gay. It could get back to her family.

“Do you want to be?” Morgan asked, clearly still think Reid was in love.

“God, no, not anymore. Years ago maybe, but I know now she’s not really my type either.” He laughed. He knew he was bisexual, he had since they were in college, but he also knew he liked guys more. Well, one particular guy, but he thought that was unlikely.

“She seems interesting, are you going to let us meet her?” He asked, bringing Reid out of his thoughts.

“Oh my god.” He said, all color draining from his face.

“What, is everything okay?” Morgan asked, clearly worried. With their job, terror means a lot more than just nerves.

“She’s going to meet you all tomorrow. God help me.”

__________________

All through the night, Spencer froze, but he refused to move any closer to Morgan. He refused to let Jo be right. Besides he was too focused on the idea of Jo meeting the team.

What would she tell them? She knew better than to out him, but that would not stop her from telling all their other humiliating stories. God this was a mistake. If there weren’t lives on the line, he would not be doing this.  _ Curse me and my dumb morality _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Jo is a lesbian! Jo and Spencer are those kinds of friends who tried to date, and they just knew they were more siblings than anything else. They are super close, and she visits him all the time. She has been living with her parents for a little less than a year, her lab lost funding so she needed to stay there while looking for a new job. Spencer offered her his apartment, but she was a little too proud to take it. Next chapter Jo meets the team! If you want quick updates, leave comments. They could literally just say "Hi" or "good" and it'll keep me motivated. I've got an outline, so I should be updating quite frequently, also what the else am I gonna do? It's quarantine baby.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team meets Jo.

**Chapter 3**

Reid was looking around the office. Truly, they were stumped. Nothing seemed stolen. The only thing the women had in common was that they went to a bar on a friday night, they interacted with the same 40 people but all looked innocent. A few people here and there looked suspicious, but it wasn’t really anything. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Officer Bailey leave the office for his lunch break.

“You’ve got 57 minutes, you’ll be safe.” Reid called, saying nothing else, she knew that meant that the detectives were not in the room. The team looked a little confused but he stood up and looked at the highway maps. Before he knew what hit him, a slender female figure had jumped into his arms for a hug. 

“You bitch!” She shouted, planting a loud kiss on his cheek. She wrapped him up like a spider monkey. The whole room stood in complete shock.

“It’s nice to see you again, too,” He laughed, moving his arms to better support the weight of her legs around his hips. Prentiss smirked, _I didn’t even think he could carry that much weight_. Morgan was extremely uncomfortable, and it did not get past the rest of the team. He was looking at how Reid was holding this girl's ass, and in all honesty he was a little jealous.“Are you just going to stay here the whole time?” 

“Fine, I’ll show you a good time later,” She winked and booped his nose, making Spencer blush. Morgan coughed loudly, snapping the two of them out of their little fantasy world. He put her down, looking at the ground.

“Jo, I’m at work.” He whispered embarrassed. She just shrugged and he rolled his eyes. 

“I am SSA Aaron Hotchner, It’s nice to meet you, Miss-?” Hotch asked, deciding to make things less awkward.

"It's Doct-" Reid began to correct, but Jo interrupted

“Just call me Jo,” She smiled, taking his hand.

“So, how do you know Reid?” Morgan asked, trying to cover up the funky thing his voice was doing.

“We met at Caltech, boy genius and I had to share a room, since we were both so young. We were actually the same age when we started 14, and both chem majors. ,” She began to explain, and standing next to him she nudged his side. “Boy did we get into trouble.”

“Pretty boy got into trouble in college?” Morgan asked, his interest piqued.

“No, Jo got into trouble, and I got her out of it-” Spencer corrected.

“Don’t lie to yourself! You got yourself into a fair bit of trouble without my help!” She said, swatting him, annoyed.

“No I did not! You were the one always sneaking out to parties-”

“Really, because I don’t remember being the one who stole that horse-”

Prentiss couldn’t contain her laughter, and let out a small giggle

“That was one time-” 

“Or the firetruck-”

“Oh come on that was your fault-”

"Making out-"

"Do not go there-"

“What about that time at the astronomy tower-”

“JOSEPHINE WE HAVE A CASE!” Reid shouted as his face turned bright red with blush. She just rolled her eyes, and shrugged. The whole team had to try their best to hide their smiles, even Hotch was struggling. Eventually they gave up.

“Okay so give it to me, what do you need help with?” She said going into work mode. They showed her the pictures of the victims.

“Do you recognize these women?” JJ askes, holding out the pictures.

“Kind of. It's a small town though. I know I’ve seen them around, but I don’t think I ever really talked to them. They look familiar though, I can’t quite place it. We might have talked at the bars once or twice.” Her face was still, like she did recognize, but she just genuinely could not figure it out.

“Is there anyone you might know that has been abusive, or is going through a divorce? Definitely thinks that women are below him, he wants to control the women in his life.” Prentiss suggested, thinking they could get some information on their unsub.

“I mean, that’s a lot of people,” She shrugged, she really wanted to help, but it was too broad.

“Anyone in particular comes to mind?” Morgan asked.

“I mean, I know one guy, but that’s just a personal issue.” She shrugged, and Spencer’s eyes shot to her.

“Who?” He asked, astonished that he did not already know.

“Michael Lexington, I told you about him.” 

“Only that he asked you out. Which you told me three weeks ago-”

Before they could start arguing Hotch interrupted them, “What makes you think of him?”

“He’s asked a couple of the girls out around town, but even when you say no he just asks again and again. The guy is like a fly you can’t quite get rid of. Everyone knows that he’s rough with his girlfriends, too. He’s a creep who won’t leave me the fuck alone, he’s not a murderer though.”

“We will take all the leads that we can. If there’s anything else you can give us, we would be happy to hear.” JJ smiled, giving Jo her card.

“Jo, why didn’t you tell me? I could have-” Spencer looked at her, not hurt. He was just concerned, he knew how quickly these things could escalate. It had only been a few weeks, since they last talked. Had she been hiding it?

“Babe, we can talk about this later. Okay?” She whispered quietly.

“Alright, but you’re not getting out of this conversation that easy.” He huffed. Remembering they were actually in a room full of his coworkers, he went bright red. “So, are you sure you don’t know anything else?”

“I don’t think so, I swear if I think of anything, I’ll give you a call.” She smiled lightly. It did very little to ease the tension in the room.

“And if you could tell us any stories about baby Reid, we are all ears.” Prentiss laughed, which did ease the tension.

“Oh I might just have to take you up on that. I love nothing more than embarrassing this guy.” She smiled, elbowing her friend.

“I can think of a couple of things you love more.” He whispered, not looking at her. He was just smirking, and Jo just narrowed her eyes.

“Wow, pretty boy has jokes all of a sudden?” Morgan laughed, raising his eyebrows.

“Okay, if you’re gonna be like that, then who wants to hear the story about how Spencer got drunk and attempted to make the _Enterprise_ from Star Trek out of my hairdryer?” She countered, and everyone laughed, but Reid was just looking out the door of the conference room to see that Officer Bailey was back.

“Jo, you’re dad’s here.” He said urgently.

“I’m not falling for that, c’mon babe, you know I’m smarter than that-”

“Jo, I’m not kidding! He's back, you have approximately 1 minute and 32 seconds before he spots you.” His voice was getting louder.

“Shit, is he by the door?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet all of you, we should do this again under better circumstances. Drinks, maybe?” She gave a wink to Prentiss, heading towards the window. The rest of the team began to panic and were shocked, but Spencer was calm. He has seen this one too many times to be worried. They were in the second story. She opened it and climbed down the pipe that was attached. “See you later, babe. I’ll call you.”

“You need to stop doing that, it’s concerning,” Reid called out, knowing it would not sway her opinion. She gave him the finger. He called down, “You’re a menace!”

“She seems…” Rossi started, not really sure of where to go with it.

“Fun. I like her.” Prentiss finished for him. “I had no idea you were so much fun in college.” 

Reid sat back in his chair and groaned, remembering why he had kept the group apart for so long. They all started to laugh, even Hotch.

“A firetruck, huh?” He smiled, and Reid began to slam his head on the table. They laughed even harder, “Okay children, back to work.”

 _Why didn’t she tell me?_ Reid thought as he made his way back to the map. Derek sat next to him, leaning against the desk.

“She’s cute, kid,” Morgan said with a nudge. There was a hint of jealousy in his eyes, but it was invisible to Reid. However not to the rest of the team, who seemed to alert each other with their eyes.

“Don’t even think about it, Mr. Player.” He warned, not even looking at him. However, even without looking at him it was threatening. Even though she was gay, Spencer had spent too much time scaring off the creepy men she seemed to attract. Even after she came out, she always managed to find the weirdos. In college, he had taken it upon himself to protect her. Even if he was scrawny, he had his ways. He was a little bit jealous that Morgan had taken an interest in Jo, but he was far more protective of his oldest friend.

“I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just saying you two clearly have a history. It could be worth pursuing.” Morgan, answered suggestively. Why he tortured himself like this, no one could tell you.

“I told you, we are just friends.” He rolled his eyes. This was a conversation that was almost a decade old, and yet no one seemed to believe his answer.

“Let’s get back to what’s important, we can ask Dr. Reid about Josephine later,” Hotch called, in his usual monotone voice. With a slight smile he added, “Which we will do.”

“Boy do I have some questions for her.” JJ laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its that exciting part of the criminal minds episode

**Chapter 4**

It had been a long day to say the least. They were still nowhere, and Reid was emotionally exhausted. He was tired of staring at the same few pictures all day, that was until he got a call. 

“Spencer, come to the house I need you-” Jo was crying, and Reid realized she was serious. He could feel his heart in his chest, but he refused to panic, she needed him.

“Jo, what’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“He was here, he-”

“Jo, I’m heading over there now, are you okay?”

“He uh, he hit me in the head, I was passed out for a second. Spencer everything hurts, and there’s blood. I’m really scared, I don’t know what’s going on.” He could feel her terror, and his blood ran cold.

“I’ll bring a medic,” He was already getting his bag together, “Hotch, the unsub was at Jo’s house, he attacked her. I’m heading over there now.” He said it with such authority that everyone knew it wasn’t a question.

“Bring Prentiss and Morgan with you, I will call the ambulance.” Hotch

Reid went back to the phone call, he put the part of him worried about his friend on a shelf. He knew she needed the FBI agent more. “Where are your parents?”

“My dad ran after the guy, and my mom’s here with me. Spencer, I’m scared.” She cried and Spencer’s kept heart breaking.

“Hotch, call Officer Bailey. He took off after the unsub.” Hotch nodded, and began calling and giving orders Reid didn’t bother listening to. He was walking and talking, and Reid got shotgun in the car, while Morgan drove.

“I’m right here, Jo I promise we will be there soon-” 

“Spence, this is my fault-” She sobbed

“Don’t you say that!” He was doing his best to control the nerves in his voice, he didn't focus on his face. Morgan looked at the kid, he could seee so much terror and hurt, it hurt him. “Morgan, I thought I told you to drive!”

“Kid, I’m going 80!” Morgan tried to level with him, but it clearly wasn’t working. He knew if the roles were reversed he would not be nearly this calm, so he did his best to be understanding.

“It’s the next right!” He shouted as they swerved. “Josephine Bailey, I swear to you, it's not your fault.”

“Spence I fucked up, I really fucked up.” She continued to cry into the phone, as they pulled up. Before Morgan had even put the car in park, Reid jumped out and ran towards the already open door. He saw Mrs. Bailey stand with a shotgun in the living room, but he ran straight towards Jo who was sobbing on the floor, covered in blood. He mentally cursed Mrs. Bailey for not taking care of her wounds.

“Hey, Jo, it’s me, Spencer. I’m here, I’m right here.” He said looking at her. He noted she was bleeding on her face, arms, and her stomach. The wounds on the stomach didn’t seem deep thankfully. He still did his best to put pressure where he saw what seemed the worst.

“Spencer!” She cried into his arms, hugging him. She continued to cry, but she was calming down significantly. Prentiss was already talking to Mrs. Bailey while Morgan circled the grounds. 

Once she was calm enough Spencer began, “What happened?”

“I’m sorry you were right-” She started to cry again.

“No, it’s okay- just, please tell me what happened,” Spencer said quickly, knowing if she began to ramble there would be no stopping.

“I was coming back from town, and I noticed that there was a package on my bed, it was weird. I went back into the living room to see if anything was in there, and the next thing I know he is in my face. Spencer, he had a knife! And after that I remember hearing my dad scream, and everything going dark.” She said quietly, like if she said it any louder the unsub would hear.

“Do you know who it was?”

“It was Michael Lexington. I thought I could handle things by myself, I was so stupid, Spencer I’m so sorry-” She sobbed again.

“Jo, stop it. I promise you I am not mad. I love you, okay. Nothing’s gonna change that.” He said, giving her a kiss on the forehead and hugging her tight. He squeezed too hard, and she winced. The ambulance showed up shortly after and began to inspect her.

“I called Hotch, filled him in. They’re looking for him now-” Morgan explained.

“Okay, so let’s go-” Reid said, grabbing his stuff ready to hunt this guy down.

“Slow your roll pretty boy. He said, to find out what we can from the victim and here at the scene.” He held his hand out and Reid was annoyed but he took a breath. 

“I’ll talk to Jo, she said this guy left something on her bed, we should see what it is. Maybe he stole something, give us more answers.” They all nodded and he walked over to Jo who was wrapped in a blanket, but already looked better. 

“So, I think I need to ask you again. What’s going on.” Spencer sat down next to her, putting an arm around her.

“He kept asking me out, following me around. I thought it wasn’t anything important.” She took in a deep breath and put her head on his shoulder. “I didn’t want to worry you. You always watch out for me. I didn’t want you to drop everything and come here for me. You’ve got enough going on.”

“Sweetheart, I’d drop everything because I love you. Not because you’re my responsibility.” He squeezed her just a bit tighter.

“You called me sweetheart!” She said excitedly. “You never play along with my little names.”

“No promises to keep doing it.” He smiled, and they sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments. “So, I have to ask, are you sure you didn’t know the other victims?”

“I was just about to call you. I remembered them.” She sighed, tears in her eyes.

“Yeah?” He whispered.

“I got really drunk at a couple bars past couple weekends. Like  _ really  _ drunk. I feel so stupid. I didn’t remember, it was just supposed to be some quick fun. We hooked up in the bathroom.” She let out a soft sob. “Spencer, did I get them killed? Is this my fault?”

“Sweetheart, no, it’s not your fault it’s this fucked up asshole who did this fault.” His heart hurt, a lot.

“You’re sure?” She said burrowing her head into his chest.

“100%” He said, pressing a soft kiss on her hair.

“You need to get back to work.” She said, pulling away.

“Jo-” He said firmly.

“No, you need to wrap this case up quickly, because we have a long trip back to D.C.” She smiled. She gave him that look, clearly trying to clue him in, and for once it worked.

“Jo, are you saying-” He beamed, in shock.

“Yeah.” She nodded. There were tears in his eyes, he could not believe it. She was finally getting out of this hell hole. “Get to work, I wanna get out of here ASAP.”

“We are going to find him, I promise.” He squeezed her again, careful of her ribs. According to the EMT she had broken some when he kicked her in the stomach.

“I know.” She looked at him in that moment, like he had hung the moon. She expected nothing less.

“I’m not letting anyone do this again.” He promised. Hugging her agiain. She rolled her eyes. She loved him dearly, and understood his fear, but she had had enough.

“Spencer, I’m fine. Go!” She disconnected their arms, groining a little.

“You know I’m going to have to go through your stuff? You don’t mind?” He asked, knowing she didn’t have a choice. He just wanted her blessing anyway. She had had a long day.

“Spencer, I’ve had your dick in my mouth. I really don’t mind you looking through my books.” She snapped, very loudly. _ I guess we do all have our breaking point _ , he thought. He laughed softly and smiled. He couldn’t care if his friends were around, he was just happy she was alive and about as normal as she got. Softly, she grumbled “Besides, I know I don’t get a choice.

“Excuse me for checking!” He laughed, feigning defensiveness. She laughed quietly, but it hurt her head. He turned to see the stunned faces of his coworkers. “I hate you sometimes, you know that?” 

“You love me.” She smiled, the familiar banter putting her at ease.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” He once again pressed a kiss on her forehead. He just wanted to make sure she was still here, still alive. She winced a little since he kissed near where the butterfly band-aids were. He also noticed that she kept looking in a mirror at it and grumbling before. “You know that scar is gonna look hot right?”

“You wish, babe.” She smiled, amazed that he could somehow always read her mind.  _ Although, it does make sense since he’s a profiler _ , she thought. She laughed, “Get back to work, I can feel a snowstorm coming in. The last place you wanna be stuck is here.”

He got up and started walking towards the house, still seeing the surprised faces of Morgan and Prentiss. He knew he should be embarassed, but he really didn’t care. He was just happy she was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I forgot to put an author's note, I was so eager to post it I forgot! This is a really fun story to write, despite the angst. I'm on the last chapter, but if people like it enough I might write more! Your comments mean a lot!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

By the time they reached the Bed and Breakfast, Spencer had already taken a nap in the car. It was a short drive, but he was already so tired. Morgan looked through the rearview mirror at his friend, he looked so cute right there. He seemed at peace, something Reid didn’t get a lot of nowadays. Morgan wanted nothing more to learn all the different parts of who the young doctor was. “Just when I thought I knew everything there was to know about you, pretty boy” He thought.

“Y’know he feels the same way about you too.” Prentiss whispered, apparently Derek had thought aloud.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He whispered back, glaring. The last thing he needed was for Reid to hear him.

“Sure you don’t.” She rolled her eyes. 

By the time they got back, and woken up an extremely begrudging genius, the snow had already reached an inch and a half. Spencer wanted nothing more than a hot shower, and to go home. He could only achieve one, so shower it was.  _ I can’t believe we are finally getting away. She will really get to leave this place, never have to look back. No more hiding, no more fear. _ He thought, as he began to cry. It had been 12 years since they met. In all that time, she had spent her time looking over her shoulder. To know she would finally get to breathe, it was unbelievable. God he was proud. 

After he got out of the shower, and he was dressed, he lied down on the bed and just stared at the ceiling in amazement. He heard a familiar voice from several floors below. “Thanks, Sheila. Sorry for the carpet.” It was Jo. _ That’s odd, she’s supposed to be packing up her house _ , he was just about to ask Hotch for a few days off. When he truly remembered what had just happened he leapt out of bed and sprinted down the stairs. He saw her sitting at the table, shivering, soaking wet, and looking worse than when he had left her.

“Jo, what the hell happened?” He ran towards her, beginning to inspect her face. She now had a black eye, and the bandaids were peeling off.

“Well, the good news is he’s just as bad a shot as the last time we were here.” She gave a small laugh, as he saw the bruises on her face. A new black eye and a split lip.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Rossi asked, concerned. That seemed to draw the attention of the rest of the team. Not that the two young geniuses had noticed.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Spencer seethe, resolutely.

“Spencer, I’m fine.” She smiled weakly, clearly lying. She held his hand as she shivered, it was clear she had walked here. She needed to warm up before the cold got to her.

“Jo, what happened? I know you were leaving, but  _ this _ ?”

“He found out- the whole thing. Someone told him,” She started to cry, and ramble, “Spence, he took my car. I can’t get out of here. I am going to die here-”

“Absolutely not, we will work this out. Do not worry, you will  _ never  _ have to go back there. I promise you.” He pulled her in for a hug, not caring she was wet. “Do you have any clothes? Let’s get you into something warm before you get hypothermia.”

“I grabbed my research and ran. My whole life is in that bag-” She sobbed.

“I still have a bunch of your clothes from the last time you stayed with me. We can get you new clothes anyway, I promise. Okay?” She nodded and he took her in his arms and he guided her upstairs, the rest of the team stared in mild horror at the scene. 

He waited outside the door of the bathroom pacing. “I hear you thinking, I’ll be fine Spence. It’s just a shower. Give me a minute, okay?” She called from the bathroom, and he agreed. He set out his extra pajamas on the bed for her. Then he went downstairs to meet the rest of the team.

“Kid, what the hell just happened?” Morgan asked for the rest of them.

“Who told him?” He asked, becoming less broken, and more angry.

“What?”

“Who told Officer Bailey that Jo is gay?” He seethed. They looked around, astonished. “Was it us? Did one of you tell him?”

“I’m sorry, things happen, word gets out-” Hotch began.

“He would have killed her!” He shouted.

“He didn’t.” Hotch did his best to maintain composure, the last thing Reid needed was more emotions.

“What would you have done if he did?”

“Kid, you can’t think like that-” Morgan tried.

“She lost everything tonight! Because of us-”

“Did she lose you?” Rossi asked, calmly.

“Of course not!” Reid asked, more than a little insulted.

“She didn’t lose us either.” JJ smiled, knowing how to calm down Reid. “She just got a strange new family. If she’s your family she’s ours.”

“She is coming back to DC, with us. On the jet.”

“That’s not protocol-” Hotch hated to say it, but he knew Reid would find a loophole, he just needed to let him.

“I don’t give a damn about protocol!” He slammed on the table. Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he called Garcia. 

“How’s boy wonder doing-”

“Pen, I need a favor.”

“Anything, no one has to know.” She said fast, hearing the emotions in her voice.

“You said you wanted an upgrade on your computer systems.”

“Yeah but it’s not in the budget.”

“Pen, Jo got kicked out. She’s got nowhere to go but with us. If we don’t take her with us, there’s no telling what could happen. She’s got a PhD in Computer Engineering. We can say she’s helping you!” He pleaded. Garcia’s heart broke a little. Morgan had called her a couple times explaining the girl, she liked her gumption. She didn’t entirely know what was happening, but she knew her baby was in danger,

“As long as she doesn’t mess with any of my stuff.” She agreed. 

Hotch interrupted, since it was on speaker, “She needs to look at your computer if she is going to be a technical consultant” He explained.

Spencer walked over to Jo’s backpack. If he knew Jo, she would have packed her scrapbooks along with the research. She liked to keep them together, it helped her process. He usually made fun of her huge backpacks, but boy did it come in handy for taking your whole life with you. After some searching, he found it. 

“Penelope, I am begging you. Please.” He paused, flipping through the large book quickly. He knew it would be there, it was one of their favorite photos. “If you say yes I’ll show you a picture of me in drag.”

“My baby boy did drag?” She squealed in excitement.

“You’ll do it?” He let out a breath he had known he was holding. He had held his breath in fear.

“Babe, you had me at Pen.” She laughed.

“I think you’re really gonna like her.” He laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. “Thank you, really.”

“Of course. Let me know if you need anything.” She told him, ending the call.

They stood and watched Reid sit down, finally calm. It did not go over his head that Hotch was cutting him a lot of slack. He knew he had just called in a lot of favors. “Thank you, Hotch. I really do appreciate this.”

Aaron Hotchner cracked, he could not keep it in any longer, and he smiled. “Of course. She is really lucky to have a friend like you.”

“I’m the lucky one. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He smiled in relief. 

There was an awkward knock on the doorframe. Spencer turned around to see a shy Jo standing in nothing but a towel. “I’m so sorry, I really hate to impose.”

“It’s okay, we're here for you.” Rossi gave her a smile, which put her at ease. He just had that nice Italian uncle energy that did that.

“Do any of you have an extra pair of pajamas?” She looked at the ground embarrassed. This vulnerability was so different from the carefree girl that jumped their doctor not days ago. It made them all a little sad. They were used to dealing with victims, but seeing it hit close to home was always rough.

“I thought I put some out for you?” Reid asked confused.

“Babe, I love you, but you're a sickly Victorian boy. It doesn’t fit" She laughed, and Spencer blushed. It was enough to make the whole team laugh. The rest of the team looked around, they had all already changed. When you pack light you bring one set of pajamas if that. However, she was in luck, since Morgan accidentally packed an extra.

“I’ve got some, it might be a little well, a lot big, but it’ll have to do,” Morgan said, walking towards her.  _ God she looks so small in comparison to the girl I saw just a few days ago. I can’t imagine what this might be like for Reid _ , he thought. “Besides, I need to grab my stuff anyway.”

“Why? Are you leaving? There's a blizzard.” She was confused, and Morgan was reminded how alike she and Reid were. They were both so oblivious.

“No, I’m gonna take the couch,” he explained kindly.

“It’s fine, Sheila’s letting me stay there-” She just stood there, with that same confused look Reid had any time someone tried to do something nice for him. It was like they weren’t used to kindness.  _ I guess they aren’t _ ,he thought sadly.

“I’m not gonna let you take the couch.” He sighed, shaking his head.

“But I don’t want to kick you out of your own bed. You were here first.” 

“Listen, I know we just met. But your Reid’s family, and Reid’s family is my family. Now after the day you’ve had you think I’m going to let a lady like you sleep on the couch?” He raised his eyebrow, and used that voice he uses with Reid to really get his point across. She nodded, and her lips curved to a slight smile. “No ma’am my mother raised me better than that.”

With that, the two went upstairs.  _ I am in love with that man, _ Reid thought as he stared at two of his favorite people in the entire world walk up a flight of stairs. The rest of the team stared at each other as they watched their youngest member’s love-struck gaze. 

“Well, let’s see what 'Sheila' has here in the way of food. It’s been a long day, we could all use some dinner.” Rossi smiled and began looking through the pantry.

When they got upstairs, Derek gave her the clothes, and she went into the bathroom. She was able to get the pants on no problem, but problems started when she tried to put on the shirt. When she raised her arm, she let out a loud groan she meant to keep quiet. 

“Hey, is everything alright in there?” Morgan knocked.

“I’m- ahh- fine” She said through gritted teeth.

“Do you want me to go get Reid-”

“No!” She shouted quickly. “I’ll be fine.” She breathed in again, and attempted to get her head through the hole, but she let out another groan,

“Are you sure? I can go run and-”

“No! Morgan, I just, I can’t.” She said weakly, she could not let Spencer see what happened. He would worry too much. From the pain and the day, she cried once again. Just as she had in the shower.

“Do you want me to get JJ or Prentiss?” He asked thinking maybe she wanted a woman to help

“I’ll be okay, I just need to get this shirt on.” She let a groan out after trying again.

“Jo, are you sure you don’t need help?” He asked, once again.

“I just- I can’t get this stupid shirt on. Please, just. Can you help me, real quick?” She said it so softly he almost didn’t hear it. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you to do that, especially since I’m not decent- ahhgh!” She winced trying to do it again, at that Morgan could not stand it anymore. He opened the door, but covered his eyes.

“If you want help, I can help you. We are both adults. Let’s just get your shirt on.” He said still covering his eyes with his hand.

“You can look.” She said weakly. When he opened his eyes, he saw her black and blue ribs, and the long scabs from the attack earlier today. 

“My god.” He whispered, disturbed at the sight. He grabbed the shirt, and put it over her head, and helped her arms through silently. “Are you sure you are okay to fly?”

“I’ve had worse, still flew to Japan.” She shrugged. 

“What?” He asked, remembering the disturbing scene just moments ago.

“I mean, the stalker and hypothermia are new, but this is nothing I’m not used to.” She shrugged. “Everytime I left this is what it’d be like. I should be fine.”

It shocked and horrified Morgan. He knew the evil people could do to each other, but it didn’t make things easy. What was even more shocking to Morgan was the idea that Reid would know about this, and let her have stayed there as long as she did. “I’m guessing Spencer doesn’t know?”

“Not that it was as bad as it was. It’s not that I don’t trust him or love him. He’s so protective, and that’s what I love about him.” She frowned, she hated this conversation. She was much more, put this in the feelings box, and crush the box. “I mean it’s not like he ever sexually abused me, this isn’t nearly as bad as half the stuff you guys have to investigate.”

“Still doesn’t make it okay.” He offered, and she nodded.

“You’re right.” She took in a deep breath. “But, it’s just sometimes I want to keep things private…”

“Not have the worst moments of your life on full display for everyone?”

“How’d you know?” She asked.

“You and I have got more in common than either of us is ever going to be entirely willing to admit.” He sighed, and she let out a little breath. It wasn’t quite a laugh. It was an acknowledgment of understanding.

“Let’s go downstairs, I smell food. I haven’t eaten all day, and if we are going to have an emotional moment, it can’t be on an empty stomach.” She smiled standing up straighter.

“You’re telling me, that after almost being murdered, you got kicked out of your home, escaping with nothing but your life’s work and the clothes on your back, in the snow, without eating anything all day?” He asked, incredulous.

“I said I’ve had a long day, Morgan.” She rolled her eyes. _ She really is just like Reid isn’t she. _

“You and Pretty Boy need to learn how to take care of yourselves,” He grumbled, and she smiled. “Call me Derek.” 

They started walking downstairs, towards the team cooking up some dinner.

“Thank you, Derek,” She said, patting him on the huge muscled arm.  _ God, Spence has good taste for once in his Goddamn life. Jesus christ this man is a god. _ “I mean it, I really appreciate you doing all this. I’m sorry-”

He interrupted her, “Listen here, Miss Jo. You’re family now, and family helps each other. Don’t be sorry, you deserve it.” He smile

“Actually it’s Doctor.” She smiled, not afraid to correct him. There was no reason they would be mad, and her father wouldn’t get upset.

“What?” He asked, slightly embarrassed.

“Jo has two PhD’s, chemistry and computer science, on top of 3 bachelor’s degrees,” Spencer siad, smiling at them while setting the glasses down on the table.“I’m glad you guys came down, I was starting to get worried.” 

_ A strong wind would worry you _ , Jo thought.

“What, you jealous?” JJ teased, the rest of the team knew she was talking about being jealous of Jo. It was painfully obvious.

“God, no. Besides, Derek Morgan would be a far step up from all of her previous relationships.” He laughed, clearly missing the point. Teasing Jo was familiar, it helped give a semblance of normality.

“Low blow.” She pouted.

“It’s the only one you can reach,” He answered quickly, putting cups down on the table. everyone burst into laughter. This was so incredibly different than the shy doctor they knew. She gave him a look asking ‘do you really want to do this?’. She wanted to give him the chance to say no, but all he did was mouth back “Bring it.”

She just looked at him, and smirked. “Besides, Spence knows I haven’t swung that way since he turned me into a lesbian all those years ago.” She snapped back. Prentiss and Morgan’s jaw dropped, while the rest of the team was just confused. The room was awkward, but not in an aggressive way. 

Hitting a nerve of a very old joke, “You very well  _ know _ that is not how human sexuality works! We were in the same psych class, you bitch.” 

The whole room’s jaw dropped, Reid never cursed. In the last 4 years at the BAU he had only ever swore if it was in a quote he was reading. He always said it was juvenile.  _ I guess this is when he is juvenile. He is still so young,  _ Hotch thought. Despite it’s snappiness, it lacked real bite. It was just the banter of old friends. 

Rossi, Prentiss and JJ looked at each other, with interest. They had an arrangement with Penelope to share any gossip they had. And boy did they need to go out to lunch if they wanted to get all the details of this strange case.

“Look all I’m saying is we started having sex, and then we stopped for a reason, and it wasn’t because just because you turned me gay.” She put up her arms in defense.

“We stopped having sex because your sociopath of a father fire a gun!” He said moving towards the table.

“If you hadn’t knocked over those books while we were making out, he wouldn’t have heard!”

“Does that matter? I still didn’t turn you gay.”

“It’s not like we started back up once we got back here!”

“We ran naked through the woods for a half a mile! It’s not exactly an aphrodisiac.”

“Yeah, well neither is being a lesbian” She shrugged. She could see the awkwardness surrounding them. His friends weren’t sure if they were joking, and she suddenly felt bad. “I’m just messing with him. I’ve always been super gay, it just gets on his nerves. It’s nice to take him down a peg every now and then.”

“Don’t I know it.” Derek laughed.

Hotch asked Jo, “Doctor Bailey, we can’t take off until tomorrow night. There is not a lot of space on the jet, but would you like to pick up a few things from your home?”

“I’m never going back to that house ever again.” She snapped. The team looked at each other. You didn't need to be a profiler to see she was abused. None of them were offended, but Jo looked very embarrassed. “I apologize Mr. Hotchner, that was uncalled for. And please, just call me Jo.”

“I could go with, be a little muscle.” Morgan offered. She still looked worried, but Morgan squeezed her hand. “I promise you, you will be safe.”

She nodded, “Yeah, I still need some books. Hopefully they haven’t burned everything yet.”

Rossi put an incredibly large pot of spaghetti with tomato sauce on the table. “Eat up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied, there's a lot more chapters to come! I hope you like this one. please tell me what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

“Was Reid as bad a roommate as he is now?” Morgan laughed, jibing the young man. It was all in jest, he was by far better than Rossi and Hotch. It wasn’t they were messy or rude, they just had that old man snore that could wake the dead.

“I’m not that bad!” Spencer defended.

“You fell asleep in the shower last month!” Morgan countered.

“He still does that?” Jo asked, taking another sip of her water. She wanted a beer, but Spencer and Hotch both told her it would be bad for her. She was originally going to do it when it was just Reid asking, but when Hotch told her to do it she listened. She didn’t know why, it just seemed natural. “I guess it’s better than Sophomore year at Caltech. He got super into musical theater and I swear to GOD, I was going to smash our CD player.

“Reid liked musicals?” Rossi asked, intrigued. He guessed it came off accusitory when Reid seemed upset.

“I thought Mandy Patinkin was hot, sue me!” He sounded heated, but it was becoming apparent that that is how the two of them showed their affection. It was startling at first, but they quickly got used to it.

“Yeah at first, but then you got into opera and those weird musicals. My ears have never fully recovered.” She laughed. It was quite the memory, but they actually both still enjoy theater. When they can they will go to DC on occasion and check out what’s happening before they take the shows to Broadway. It’s a nice way for the two of them to enjoy the experience.

Prentiss was the next person to take a swing at uncovering Dr. Spencer Reid’s hidden past, “So what was college like? I can’t imagine it was easy to make friends or date? I mean other than each other” 

“We never dated.” Spencer said, still not answering them.

“What do you call having sex then?” Rossi asked gruffly, a little ‘kids these days’ in his voice.

“A drunken mistake.” He answered. Rossi nodded his head. He could kind of understand where the kid was coming from.

“Amen to that.” She chuckled. “We pretty much only had each other in the way of friends. Came with the territory of being 14.We didn’t really date that much in college, it was kind of hard since we were so young-” 

“Um, no. You  _ tried  _ to date some of the weirdest men I have  _ ever _ met, and I meet serial killers for a living! I scared them away, before they could  _ murder  _ you.” Reid corrected, moderately offended. It was clear this was a familiar argument, they really liked seeing this side of him. She rolled her eyes and nudged his side. He always seemed to have a hidden protective streak, they just didn’t know where he was hiding it. He grumbled again, “At least now you have a good taste in girls, I think you would have given me a heart attack if I had to keep doing what we used to do.”

“Yeah the closet really did do a number on my relationship decisions.” She had that look in her eye, the team recognized her flashing back. Once she came back, she had a pissed off look in her eye. “You still shouldn’t have done that to Bobby.”

“He was 20 and a drug dealer!” He defended himself. The rest of the team nodded in agreement. After all they had seen, they knew the makings of a creep when they heard it.

“You still shouldn’t have had him arrested!” She gave him a light shove. That drew their attention.  _ This lunch with Garcia is just getting longe _ r, JJ thought “He was harmless!”

“You were 14, and he gave you cocaine!” He shouted looking at the rest of his friends for validation. They all agreed with him on that one. “Wasn’t he arrested again last year?”

“Yeah for murder and drug trafficking. You might’ve had the right idea on that one.” She huffed, hating to admit he was right. Hotch’s eyes grew wide, the father in him was very worried about this girl.  _ What the hell is going on with this girl? _ He thought.

“Wow, Pretty Boy I didn’t know you were such a mama bear.” Derek laughed.

“Trust me, I’ve got nothing on her.” He smiled. “2 years ago, when my boyfriend cheated on me she hacked into his TV and would not let it play anything but Yo Gabba Gabba.”

“Boyfriend?” Morgan asked, not necessarily accusatory. Just surprised.

“Yeah.” He nodded, and Jo squeezed his hand. He had been trying to give the team hints for a while now, but it was only now they chose to discuss it. Well, except Penelope. She knew, but then again, she knows all.

“I didn’t know you were gay?” Morgan asked with a hint of something in his eyes. Rossi, JJ, and Prentiss waited with bated breath to see where this conversation went.

“I’m not, I’m bi” He answered casually. It was fake casualness, but as Jo always told ‘You have to fake the confidence till you mean it.’ It never really worked for him, but he just prayed it would now.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Derek felt a little hurt, he thought Reid trusted him.

“Well I mean at first I didn’t say anything because Gideon told me not to.” Reid started,  _ God this is a weird fucking day _ , he thought.

“Pardon me?” An unexpected voice asked, Hotch.

“Yeah, when I first joined he told me that for the sake of my career I shouldn’t say anything.” He shrugged.

“He told me it was because you weren’t ready to say anything.” Hotch’s face was no longer the smiling man eating dinner but Agent Hotchner’s deadpan. His anger was also clear.

“He told you?” Spencer asked, astonished, and a little embarrassed.

“On behalf of myself, and the Bureau, I sincerely apologize. If I had known that that’s what he was doing-” 

“But he was right.” Spencer said quickly. He didn’t like this conversation, not one bit. Nope, this was buried deep deep within him. “I mean, I know you guys would not have cared, but 2003 was a different time. President Clinton's Executive Order 13087 in 1998 prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in the competitive service of the federal civilian workforce. It applied to employees of the government of the District of Columbia and the United States Postal Service and to civilian employees of the armed forces, but  **not** to certain excepted services, including the FBI.”*

“Kid, there’s nothing you have to hide around us.” Morgan put his hand on Spencer’s shoulder for a little too long. It did not go unnoticed by everyone else, including Jo.  _ I knew this motherfucker was being stupid, Derek likes him back so much. How can he not see it? _ She thought

“I haven’t been hiding it for a while. While I didn’t explicitly say it, due to regulations, I stopped going out of my way to feign heterosexuality a long time ago. It was too much work and I don’t think it ever really worked,” He explained. He had stopped as soon as he realized he was in love with Morgan. It was not worth the trouble, it became harder and more distracting to fake it. As well, he knew he looked and acted in a certain way, that played into a number of stereotypes and just gave off that vibe.

“Quick poll here, who here knew Wonder Boy was queer as a three dollar bill the second you saw him,” Jo asked with a chuckle. Every single person except Derek raised their hand. Everybody couldn’t help but laugh. Spencer blushed a little but it was

“You’ve gotta get a better gaydar Derek.” Prentiss said, elbowing him a little bit.

“Aren’t you guys profilers? You should have seen that miles away.” Jo asked, genuinely stunned at how Derek missed that, and was apparently missing Spencer’s big ol’ crush on him.

“There’s a rule against profiling your teammates.” He defended.

“You really didn’t need to be a profiler to realize that one.” Rossi chuckled.

“While Dr. Bailey’s phrasing could certainly be better,” Hotch said with a little huff, that was not genuine. It still made them laugh. I did know that you weren’t straight, well before Gideon told me. I still sincerely apologize that you felt you had to hide.” 

“Yeah kid, you should never be afraid to tell us anything. We love you.” The table nodded in agreement, but they also looked at each other, knowing there was another meaning behind the older agent’s words. 

They continued to laugh for a few moments more, before Hotch looked at the time. It was only 10:30, but the day had been an eternity. “It’s getting late, and if Dr. Bailey is to be checked by the hospital in time for the flight, we should be turning in soon.”

“Agent Hotchner, I am fine. I swear!” She lied.

“Well, then a doctor’s visit will be quick,” He said in his usual monotone voice, but the sides of his lips curled. He knew he had her where she had no other choice than to take care of herself.  _ God he’s such a good dad it’s annoying _ . She thought. With a sad look that passed her eyes for a moment and nothing more, she thought  _ I wish I knew what that was like. _ “And please, call me Hotch.”

“Then call me Jo.” She smirked, she would take her wins where she could get them. He nodded, and let himself smile just a bit more. Rossi had started to wash the dishes sometime ago, but she hadn’t noticed. Already feeling mad for not helping with dinner, she got up from the table and made her way over to Rossi, who was washing dishes. “I’ll help you wash up.” 

She looked dead on her feet, and more than worse for wear. The girl needed rest, and then some. He shook his head, she was too polite. “It’s okay, I’ll take care of it. You rest up.” 

“I’m fine-” She said, nearly falling, but grabbing the counter. 

Reid rolled his eyes and called, “Just because I’m stronger than I was in college does not mean I can carry you up the stairs comfortably.” 

She started to walk over to Spencer, but stopped to give Derek a hug goodnight. She was always touchy-feely and emotional when tired. “Thanks for everything.”

“Any time.” He gave her a tight squeeze back. “But I’m taking you to a doctor tomorrow.”

“I’m too tired to argue.” She admit, going towards her oldest friend. She had to lean on him a little, but he was able to guide the two of them up the stairs. Prentiss and JJ were not too far behind them, and Morgan went to the sitting area and got settled on the couch.

“They’re a cute pair.” Rossi said, smiling. He finished clearing up the dishes. “I can’t believe he had her boyfriend arrested.”

“I can, have you seen the two of them together? He could barely keep his eyes off her.” Hotch smiled.

Morgan was lying down on the couch in the area below the kitchen, only 20 feet away. As much as he knew what Jo felt for Reid was platonic, a part of him didn’t believe Spencer was ever truly over her. Sure he was interested in men, but he was still clearly in love with his first love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Stolen from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_employment_discrimination_in_the_United_States#Federal_employees_and_law  
> This takes place around 2006ish, so I believe Don't Ask Don't tell was still implemented. While I do not know if the FBI was discriminating against LGBT employees, unfortunately in general 'yes' is a good bet to take in terms of guessing whether the government was being homophobic.  
> Also, I don't ship reid and gideon i just thought the mandy Patinkin line was funny.   
> I hope you liked it, please leave comments. I still have 2 more chapters to work on, but i have a lot of other projects i am working on.

**Author's Note:**

> please don't take offense to the use of religion in this. I myself am a devout Christian, but it is nearly impossible to ignore that there are a lot of very bad people who use it badly.


End file.
